Daryl's Girl

Chapter 50

Carl's eyes widened. "Dad?" He croaked. He had a gun in his hand, watching us. 

This wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

"Carl." I said and glanced over at Rick. His face immediately dropping as he looked at his son. Shane's body laying between us.

"You should be back home with mom." Rick sniffed, standing up and making his way over to Carl. "Carl..." I followed on behind, holding my arm. Each step I took making the wound feel like it was on fire. 

Carl didn't say anything as his eyes filled with tears, looking at Rick, before turning to me, to my arm and finally over towards Shane. He was probably the only person who respected and looked up to Shane. The only person who seemed to not be able to see through his lies. As far as he knew, he was his friend, and I knew him knowing the truth was going to hurt him.

All of a sudden, Carl raised his gun and pointed it towards both myself and Rick, and I froze. Rick stopping immediately after, stretching and raising his hand out towards Carl. His breathing now shaken as he began to slowly step towards him. No sudden moves.

The only thing I could think of was that I deserved this. If Carl pulled the trigger, right here, right now, I deserved it. I killed Shane and this was my punishment.

"Just...just put... put the gun down." Rick stuttered. Carl didn't move. He kept the gun firmly up. 

I couldn't look away and, as I stood there, I found my breathing becoming rather fast and heavy. So much so, I could see each breath in the cold autumn air. At the same time, trying to ignore the pain in my arm as Rick's torn shirt rubbed against it, but I couldn't. I was a mess.

Then, Carl pointed his gun directly at me...

It was like my breath got caught in my throat. My whole body continuing to shake. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. An emotional wreck. My tears falling hard down my cheeks. This was it. I had to pay for what I'd done.

"It's not what it sems...Please." Rick begged.

All of a sudden, I flinched as the gun fired, and I squeezed my eyes shut. My whole life flashing through my mind, waiting for the impact.

Nothing happened...

As I opened my eyes, Rick pulled me behind him and put out his hand, keeping Carl and I back. That was when I turned around and saw what it was he'd pulled me away from. A walker laying on the ground, right where I'd been standing. Carl hadn't taken my life, he'd saved it. His gun had been aimed at the walker, not me.

I looked over at him appreciatively as he lowered his gun and the two of us took a step closer to Rick. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." He repeated, holding his hand out again. We both stopped and he rolled the body over revealing who it was. 

The walker was Shane, but how? He wasn't bitten, and there was nothing around to chew on him. We were alone. I'd killed him right here, so how the hell could this have happened? It didn't make sense.

I looked over at Rick to find he was pulling the exact same puzzled expression as me before crouched down and began looking over Shane's body. Sure enough, there were no bites. Not a single scratch either, other than what he already had. The only wounds he had were those of mine, Rick and Carl's, and it didn't explain how this was at all possible, how he turned. Carl's shot hitting him right between the eyes, putting down his reanimated corpse.

We stood there a second or two longer before Rick walked away with Carl. I wasn't too far behind as I took one last look at Shane and followed on after them.